Soufflés: A Waiting Game That Ends With Dessert
Sunday, November 14, 2010 at 11:22PM 
We're about to get friendly...
"What does a soufflé taste like?"
"Oh God...how do I describe it...like clouds...if they were made of pillows, ahhh!"
"Are you sure you want to make this today?"
"Well, I have to, but also, I could use one."
A Burt's Bees lip balm melted in a dryer full of clothes after many hours of packing and tossing stuff. At least it smelled good. Enough said.
The precision and focus required for baking is relaxing to me. My workplace's rattling steamer, deafening gas system for the beer taps, and random bickering disappears. At home, the shouting of neighbors melts away. Everything is shut out of my mind except for small details and technique, allowing me to indulge in my love for hands-on learning, science, and making things look pretty.
I have joined The Daring Kitchen blogging network, where every month, food bloggers make a certain dish and post about it, which is fun and exciting news! Dave and Linda from Monkeyshines in the Kitchen chose soufflés as our November 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge. Dave and Linda provided two of their own delicious recipes, plus a sinfully decadent chocolate soufflé recipe adapted from Gordon Ramsay’s recipe found at the BBC Good Food website.
The challenge was fun to participate in, because of GR's soufflé elimination battle on Masterchef. The show was like my version of a football game: I was yelling at the TV. Yes, we baker-types are intense. Dave and Linda also allowed us to pick our own flavour, which was nice! Missing the light and fluffy desserts of summer, I decided to go with a lemon-vanilla combination, hunting down two semi-ready fruits after numerous grocery trips, and letting them ripen at home.
These soufflés turned out gorgeously, weren't difficult to make, and delivered on my promise of cloud-liciousness! I adapted a recipe that we made back in culinary school, so the great chef-instructors must be credited. The base was a beautiful lemon custard that was strong, without being overly sweet. I used Absolut vodka (the baking time and temperature evaporate the alcohol), but you can use any brand or add a hint of extra-fruity flavour by substituting an apple, coconut or pineapple liquor, if you like.
I daydream about these...
Lemon-Vanilla Soufflé
Makes 2 servings
Prep time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 14 to 18 minutes
1 tbsp butter, softened
2 tbsp sugar plus another pinch
zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
1 lemon, juiced
3/4 cup milk
1 tbsp vodka or rum
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, plus seeds (scraped out)
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
powered sugar, for dusting (optional)
Smooth out the tops a little, with the back of a spoon. I was concerned about my egg whites, and decided not to.Preheat your oven to 375°F and put a kettle of water on the stove. Find a baking dish with enough room to comfortably fit two 1-cup ramekins in it. Set the dish on a baking sheet, butter the ramekins, then pour 1 tbsp sugar in each one, turning to coat. Tap out excess.
Combine the zest, cornstarch, salt and 3 tbsp of sugar in a bowl.
In a pot, whisk together the juice, milk, alcohol, vanilla, vanilla bean, and egg yolks. Add the dry ingredients, whisk together over low-medium heat and simmer for about 1 minute until thick. Strain and set it aside.
Whisk the egg whites until they reach soft peaks, then add in a generous pinch of sugar and whisk for a few more beats.
Fold egg whites into custard and gently spoon into ramekins. Put ramekins into dish, fill dish with enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, depending on your oven, until tall, risen, puffy, and golden on top.
It's a bit lumpy, but I'm happy that it didn't rise crookedly.
Notes: Get your oven mitts, a towel, and a pair of silicone-coated tongs out and next to the oven ahead of time, so there's no stress when it's go time, and DO NOT open the oven door during the first few minutes of baking. It's very tempting, but you risk losing anywhere from 25 to 50 degrees, and need all the heat to stay in and give the soufflé its lift. If your oven has a window, you know how it's doing. If you're like me, though, and don't have a window, crack the door open a tiny bit to take a peek at the 14-minute mark. When ready, eat them right away before they have a chance to deflate!
Soufflés are not hard to make, but are very time-conscious, so enjoying one straight out of the oven can make a person feel cheeky. I was so happy and did a little dance because of the way these turned out: Soft and pudding-like in the middle, nice height, great flavour. The boyfriend and I settled in and enjoyed them during a Modern Family marathon. Laughing until it hurts, baking victory, and tucking into a nice treat is enough to make one forget about waxy laundry. I have decided to start making soufflés more often!
Eat well!
Kari
Reader Comments (3)
Yum!! Your lemon vanilla souffle sounds fab! We really really wanted to do a lemon souffle for one of our challenge recipes, but the one we started with was awful. Ptooey bad. then we ran out of time. I am 100% coming back for your lemon cloud!
Excellent result! Well done indeed.
We would agree that they're not difficult to make, but for us difficult to get right...
Stay JOLLY!
D&S
@monkeyshines: Mmmm, nice to find some lemon maniacs such as myself! Thanks for issuing the soufflé challenge! My boyfriend is eternally grateful and went home to try and make chocolate ones after we ate the ones in this post!
@David and Stacey: They do take some serious concentration and a good recipe, you're right about that! Happy new year!
xo K